Women’s volleyball: Top-ranked Stanford dogged by No. 8 Huskies in second straight loss at Maples Pavilion

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

STANFORD – Hell hasn’t, exactly, frozen over, but it’s cooling down some. Stanford volleyball has been so good at Maples Pavilion that a second straight loss at home – 25-17, 18-25, 25-15, 25-16 – to No. 8 Washington on Saturday surely misaligned the planets some.

The top-ranked Cardinal – on the wrong end of a 4-setter to BYU at Maples on Sept. 22 – have to be reeling a bit. Stanford (7-3, 1-1 Pac-12) hadn’t lost back-to-back matches at Maples since Oct. 9 and 14 of 2016. The BYU defeat was the first home loss for Stanford coach Kevin Hambly in his two-plus seasons Down on the Farm.

Cardinal RS Audriana Fitzmorris had 10 kills, 3.0 blocks in 4-set loss to UW

Hambly got right to it as to why the Huskies (10-2, 1-1 Pac-12) held the Cardinal to a season-low .111 hitting percentage, .094 in the first set.

“They out-executed us the whole time,” Hambly said. “They beat us in the serve-pass game. They were in system more. They attacked us well and hit smart shots. They did a great job scoring.”

Washington had a match-high 17 kills by outside hitter Kara Bajema, who hit .302 with 10 digs and 3.0 blocks. Bajema was a third team AVCA All-America last season This match may have been won at the net with Washington out-blocking the Cardinal 16.0 to 9.5.

Stanford outside hitter Kathryn Plummer – the reigning two-time AVCA National Player of the Year – seemed hobbled some, wearing a bandage around her upper-right thigh. Plummer was good enough for a team-high 14 kills, eight digs and two aces, though her hitting percentage was an uncharacteristic .067.

The Cardinal appeared to have righted the ship in Game 2 as most of the 3,632 whooped it up with help from that wacky Stanford pep band. A Plummer kill put the Cardinal up 10-9.

Right side Audriana Fitzmorris warmed up, taking a great angle set from Jenna Gray, finalizing for one of her 10 kills for 14-12.

The Huskies, however, fought to tie the set 16-all before Plummer unleashed a wow-factor kill. Out of a Washington timeout, Plummer reached back for a kill and 20-16 Cardinal.

Serving-specialist Sidney Wilson took over at the service line, hammering two of her three aces, the Cardinal up 23-16. Morgan Hentz’ bump-set to Fitzmorris for a kill ended the set.

The Huskies, with 44 assists from setter Ella May Powell, didn’t wilt. Instead, Washington jumped out to a 10-5 lead in Game 3, taking some wind out of the Cardinal’s sail. So did a critical call on the ensuing point. Gray set Madeleine Gates for a kill, but Washington challenged, claiming Gates had hit the net. The point was overturned. An ace by the Huskies and Hambly signaled timeout trying to halt a 7-1 run. The Cardinal got down as much as 21-8, the set, all but, in the books.

“There were times we played the way we wanted to,” Fitzmorris said. “Then there were times we crumpled a bit. We needed to respond in a better way.”

The Huskies had 11 kills from Claire Hoffman, but it was 6-foot-4 middle blocker Lauren Sanders who really hurt the Cardinal, notching 9 kills – most of them off the slide – with a .316 hitting percentage.

Hentz had 22 digs, while Meghan McClure had 5 kills, 7 digs and an ace. Gates, a graduate transfer from UCLA, added 5 kills.

Gray was spectacular with 31 assists, 8 digs, 5 kills, hitting for a .625 percentage. Gray made an incredible diving save early in Game 3, though the Huskies won the point. Gray moved to No. 4 on Stanford’s career assists ladder, passing Carrie Feldman (4,461 assists/1989-92).

Hambly tried to get some more offense going by inserting true freshman middle blocker McKenna Vicini into the lineup in lieu of sophomore Holly Campbell. Vicini, from Lexington Catholic in Lexington, Ky., had a pair of kills, a couple of blocks, hitting .333.

“I was trying to get some offense,” Hambly said “I was trying to get something going.”

The Cardinal will try to get it going on the road at Oregon and Oregon State, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Washington’s besting of the Cardinal was surprising, considering the Huskies fell in 4 sets at Washington State the previous match.

“Washington is a great team,” Fitzmorris said. “Every team in the Pac-12, you have to show up and give it your all because they’re all going to bring their best game against you. Especially this year, everyone in the Pac-12 has a lot of great talent. There is a lot of returning players across the board. We have to come out stronger in the first set.”

“The Pac-12 is going to be tough,” Hambly added.

Cardinal crunchies: Washington assistant Jason Mansfield is a former women’s volleyball assistant at Stanford under John Dunning … Stanford associate head coach Denise Corlett returns for her 31st season … A first-year assistant under Hambly, Alisha Glass Childress is married to former Stanford men’s hoop star Josh Childress. Glass Childress is a former star setter for Penn State (2007-10), winning three NCAA titles during that span … The Cardinal does not get a rematch with Washington in Pac-12 play, but is at Washington State Nov. 26. Stanford returns home on Oct. 11 to face Arizona at 8 p.m.

Football: Toner’s clutch FG delivers Cardinal Pac-12 win in Corvallis

Jet Toner kicked a game-winning 39-yard field goal with six seconds left and Stanford overcame Oregon State’s late rally for a 31-28 victory Saturday night that snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Beavers tied the game at 28-28 on Artavis Pierce’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left in the game. But Connor Wedington returned the kickoff 43 yards and Davis Mills passed for a first down and ran for another on a final drive that ended with Toner’s field goal.

Mills, starting in place of injured quarterback K.J. Costello, threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinal (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12), which extended its winning streak over the Beavers to 10 games. Costello sat out of the game after injuring his thumb in Stanford’s loss to No. 13 Oregon last Saturday.

The game, which was delayed for 15 minutes because of lightning in the area, was the Pac-12 opener for the Beavers (1-3, 0-1).

Jake Luton threw for 337 yards and a touchdown for the Beavers. Isaiah Hodgins had 10 catches for 162 yards and a TD. Hodgins went into the game ranked eighth nationally with an average of 115.7 receiving yards a game.

The Cardinal led 28-14 in the fourth quarter, but B.J. Baylor’s 1-yard touchdown run closed the gap with 7:01 left and gave the Beavers momentum.

Stanford’s opening drive ended when Toner missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. Oregon State’s ensuing drive ended with Jordan Choukair’s missed 50-yard try. The Cardinal took over and capped its drive with Mills’ 22-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson.

Choukair’s 33-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Stanford midway through the second quarter.

Mills found Colby Parkinson with a 2-yard touchdown pass late in the half to take a 14-0 lead. The 6-foot-7 Parkinson was key to Stanford’s victory over Oregon State last year with four touchdown receptions. In total, Parkinson caught six passes for 166 yards in the 48-17 win in Palo Alto.

The Beavers got to the Stanford 25 before the break, but Luton was sacked twice, once for 15 yards and again for 5 yards, before time ran out.

Mills connected with Brycen Tremayne on a 3-yard touchdown to extend the lead midway through the third quarter before Luton’s 11-yard scoring pass to Hodgins, who barely got a hand on the ball while swarmed by three defenders. Pierce made it interesting with a 43-yard touchdown run for Oregon State with 12:23 left in the game, closing within 21-14.

Stanford appeared to get a 46-yard field goal from Toner, but the Beavers were penalized on the play, negating the kick and giving the Cardinal a first down. A roughing the passer foul on Oregon State gave Stanford another first down and Parkinson found a leaping Mills, who made an athletic catch to haul in an 8-yard scoring pass.

*Care of Stanford athletics

Football preview: Cardinal head to Corvallis badly needing a win

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

Look up “must-win” in Webster’s Dictionary and one might find “Stanford at Oregon State.”

The Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) and Beavers (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) vie in Corvallis on Saturday at 4 p.m. Two years ago, the Cardinal won by its chinny-chin-chin at OSU – 15-14. This was expected to be a close game, but the Beavers may have the edge now for Stanford QB K.J. Costello has been ruled out with a thumb injury.

Stanford football coach David Shaw  is 8-0 against Oregon State, escaping with a 15-14 win two years ago in Corvallis

Costello is 53-of-94 for 471 yards and two touchdowns with two picks. His replacement, Davis Mills, is 32-of-55 for 352 yards and a TD toss.

Stanford coach David Shaw said Tuesday, penalties on the offensive side of the ball are killing the Cardinal.

“It’s hard to move the chains when it’s first-and-15, second-and-18,” Shaw said. “(RB) Cameron Scarlett is running the ball really well, making a lot of yards after contact. Penalties are pushing us back. Our offensive line has blocked really well, but we need to make more plays. We don’t need to change things, we just need to tweak some things.”

Scarlett has rushed for a worthy 321 yards on 70 carries, but the Cardinal’s passing attack has yet to click. Stanford’s defense did a good job limiting Oregon to 21 points last week,. The final score could have been 28-6, but the Ducks’ defense had a fumble recovery for a score called back when Costello’s fumble was overturned because his elbow had hit the ground first.

The Stanford defense got pressure on Oregon’s Justin Herbert, which kept the Cardinal in the game, but Stanford could only muster a pair of Jet Toner field goals. Cardinal linebacker Casey Toohill, who led the way with a couple of sacks, is tied for the conference lead in sacks with 4.0.

“Our defense played really well,” Shaw said “We played a lot of young guys – Jonathan McGill and Ky Blu Kelly – and they were outstanding.”

McGill is a safety from Coppell High in Texas, same school that produced ex-Cardinal defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, now with the San Francisco 49ers. Kelly is out of national power Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.

Stanford’s defense will have its hands full with the Beavers, who possess the Pac-12’s leading receiver in Isaiah Hodgins (115.7 rec. yards per game). Hodgins has 23 catches for 347 yards.

OSU quarterback Jake Luton is 55-of-96, tossing 8 touchdowns. The Beavers have two running backs with over 200 yards rushing. Sophomore Jermar Jefferson has netted 270 yards, while Artavis Pierce has 222 yards rushing.

In Stanford’s 48-17 rout of the Beavers at Stanford Stadium a year ago, Jefferson scorched the Cardinal for 109 yards on 19 carries. Luton, a fifth-year senior, was 14-26 for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

OSU is averaging 36.3 points per game. Translated: Stanford will have to keep up without its starting QB in a hostile environment.

“I trust my team is mentality ready,” Shaw said. “No time to worry, no time to panic.”

Yet, it’s a must-win for the Cardinal, needing five wins to get bowl-eligible with eight games to play. Three of Stanford’s remaining opponents are ranked in AP Top 25.

 

Women’s tennis: Associate head coach Brennan out on medical leave for 2019-20 season

 Associate head coach Frankie Brennan will step away from the program for the 2019-20 campaign due to a medical leave of absence, as announced today by head coach Lele Forood.

Brennan completed his 24^th year on The Farm in 2018-19, serving in his ninth season as the program’s associate head coach following 15 seasons as an assistant coach.

A six-time ITA Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year and one of the most well-respected assistants in the country, Brennan has helped guide the Cardinal to a 606-52 overall record, 12 NCAA championships and 19 conference titles while mentoring 34 All-Americans since joining the staff for the 1995-96 season.

While Brennan remains on leave, Francis Sargeant will serve as assistant coach for the program. Sargeant, who has spent the previous three seasons in a volunteer assistant coach capacity for the men’s tennis team, will fill the role on a temporary basis.

“I am extremely grateful to Lele, our sport administrator, Beth Goode and the entire administration for providing me with the opportunity to temporarily step away from the program after 24 years and schedule this knee surgery”, said Brennan, the son of former Stanford head coach Frank Brennan, Jr., who directed Stanford to NCAA titles in 21 seasons, including six in a row from 1986-91, as the winningest coach in program history.

“There is never an ideal time for an absence like this, as I know my stepping away affects everyone, from seniors who are in their final season to freshmen that I have spent years recruiting,” said Brennan. “I will miss being around this incredible group of student-athletes. The program is fortunate to have Lele’s leadership and I know Francis will do a terrific job filling in as assistant coach. Francis has been a part of the Stanford tennis family for the last three years, and Lele and I feel fortunate to have him available to us.”

“While there is certainly no replacing Frankie, we wish him well this year in his recovery and look forward to his return,” said Forood, who enters her 20^th season at the helm having led the Cardinal to 10 NCAA crowns, 15 conference titles and a 466-44 overall record. “We are delighted to have a coach of Francis’ experience, knowledge and energy helping us, along with Erin Burdette on staff.”

Prior to Stanford, Sargeant served as a volunteer assistant coach at Memphis during the 2015-16 campaign, leading the Tigers to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

“I’m beyond excited for this opportunity,” said Sargeant. “I, of course, have big shoes to fill from Frankie — but am honored to continue the legacy he has built with Lele as I work with the team over the next year. To say Lele is a historic coach is an understatement. Working with such a storied program, guided by such a storied leader, is equally inspiring, as it is motivating to me. I would be remiss not to recognize Paul Goldstein and Brandon Coupe, whose mentorship, leadership, and friendship over the last three years have developed me as a coach, and more importantly, a person. I’m looking forward to, what is sure to be, another amazing year on The Farm.”

A four-year letterwinner at BYU from 2012-15, Sargeant closed out his career ranking sixth in school history with 91 singles victories. A two-time All-WCC second team honoree in singles, Sargeant was also named to the conference’s first team in doubles for the 2013 season. During Sargeant’s career, the Cougars made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013-14.

A native of Beckenham in the UK, Sargeant graduated from BYU with a degree in sociology in 2015. In 2010 and 2011, he was the No. 1 ranked U18 player in the UK and was a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete.

Volunteer assistant coach Erin Burdette, a four-time All-American (2002-05) and member of three NCAA title teams, returns for her for sixth season.

After winning its last four NCAA titles as a No. 8 seed or lower, Stanford flexed its muscle as the No. 3 seed in 2019, routing top-seeded Georgia 4-0 to repeat as NCAA champions for the first time since a three-year stretch from 2004-06.

*Care of Stanford athletics

Cross country: Cardinal men, women do well in first test of season

In the season-opening meet for Stanford cross country, the men and women each finished second at the John McNichols Invitational on Saturday.

“We had a successful first meet,” said Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track & Field J.J. Clark. “Both teams packed well and ran together, and both the men and women beat teams that were ranked in the top 5. Congrats to Thomas (Ratcliffe) and Fiona (O’Keeffe) for leading the team to second place finishes. Now we’ll head home to improve on our fitness and prepare the the Nuttycombe Invite.”

The Stanford women, ranked No. 8 in the nation entering the meet, were second in a tight race with Arkansas. The Cardinal placed three in the top 10, including a second-place finish from Fiona O’Keeffe (16:34) and finished with 54 points — just five behind the Razorbacks and ahead of No. 3 Washington and No. 4 Michigan.

Ella Donaghu was the second Cardinal across the finish line (6th, 16:45), followed by Jessica Lawson (9th, 16:51), Julia Heymach (17th, 17:18), Jordan Oakes (20th, 17:29), Kristin Fahy (31st, 17:39) and Hannah DeBalsi (47th, 18:13).

Meanwhile the Stanford men, ranked No. 7 in the nation, were second only to No. 1 Northern Arizona, which finished with 31 points. The Cardinal was led by Thomas Ratcliffe’s second-place finish (23:51) and finished with 51 points. Stanford was also boosted by a seventh-place showing from Alex Ostberg (24:05). He was followed by Alek Parsons (12th, 24:22), Callum Bolger(14th, 24:31), Clayton Mendez (16th, 24:39), D.J. Principe (22nd, 24:54) and Steven Fahy (23rd, 24:55).

Next up, Stanford heads to Wisconsin for the Nuttycombe Invite on Oct. 18.

*Care of Stanford athletics

Women’s volleyball: No. 1 Cardinal pushed, but prevails over No. 21 Cal in Pac-12 opener

Behind Kathryn Plummer’s 22 kills, No. 1 Stanford held off No. 21 California, 20-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-19, Thursday, in the Pac-12 opener for both teams at Haas Pavilion.

Stanford (7-2, 1-0 Pac-12) won its 15^th straight match against California (10-1, 0-1 Pac-12), and its 26^thconsecutive match over a Pac-12 opponent dating back to 2017.

Plummer hit .304 and totaled seven digs and match-high 23 points. Senior opposite Audriana Fitzmorris added 10 kills and five blocks.

A hot start propelled the Bears to a 25-20 win in the opening set. Stanford was held to a .179 hitting percentage in the set. Middle blockers Holly Campbell and Madeleine Gates tallied four kills apiece to lead the team.

Stanford bounced back in the second, evening the match with a 25-17 victory. The Cardinal hit .333 in the set – its highest of the match.

Senior setter Jenna Gray controlled the offense with 48 assists and had 13 digs. Senior libero Morgan Hentz also registered a double-double with 22 digs and a career-high 10 assists.

Gates posted nine kills on .368 hitting and five blocks, while freshman Kendall Kipp had eight kills. Junior Meghan McClure was solid defensively with nine kills, while junior Sidney Wilson recorded a season-high two aces.

Freshman Mckenna Vicini subbed into the match in the third set for Campbell. The middle blocker finished with three kills and three blocks.

Cal was led by Preslie Anderson’s 11 kills on .455 hitting and four blocks, while Maddie Haynes had 10 kills.

Stanford returns to The Farm on Sunday to host No. 8 Washington. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.

*Care of Stanford athetics

Football: Toner, Sanborn give Cardinal something to kick about

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

STANFORD – Stanford tries to get its first Pac-12 win Saturday when it travels to Corvallis, Ore., to face Oregon State. Doing their part to fight for field position are junior placekicker Jet Toner and punter Ryan Sanborn, a true freshman. Toner wears No. 26, while Sanborn dons No. 27.

Stanford punter Ryan Sanborn had season-best 57-yard punt vs. Oregon

Toner, who handles kickoffs, is 7 of 10 on field goal tries, scoring 26 of Stanford’s 70 points, Sanborn was a busy man in last Saturday’s 21-6 loss to Oregon, punting six times, booting a long of 57 yards, averaging 42.7 yards per punt. Sanborn has punted 19 times for an average of 39.7 yards per punt.

Toner was instrumental in Stanford’s upset victory at U of Oregon last season, nailing a 32-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force overtime.

“Honestly, they are all the same,” Toner said. “I treat every kick the same, like in practice. Whether I’m here in the summer, here during practice or in the game. It’s the same amount of pressure. I don’t let anyone else put pressure on me besides myself.”

Placekicker Jet Toner had career-best 51-yard FG vs. Northwestern

Toner, Stanford’s field goal kicker the past two seasons, is working with a true freshman holder, Alex Gracey, out of Atlanta. Last year, Jake Bailey was the holder. Gracey competed with Sanborn and Collin Riccitelli for the top punting job.

“Alex just jumped in and he is doing well,” said Toner of Gracey. “That’s an important relationship. We spent a lot the offseason building that trust. He has done a good job.”

Toner prepped at the Punahou School in Honolulu, alma mater of former U.S. President Barack Obama. Toner is listed at 6-foot-4, tall for a kicker. When he takes his helmet off, he looks like he is back in Hawaii with flowing brown hair, his neck surrounded by necklaces.

“My mom gave me all these,” Toner said. “I’ve been wearing them forever.”

Toner claims to not have any superstitions like many kickers do.

“I don’t have any superstitions,” Toner said “It’s just a process of clearing my mind, trusting what I do. Let my technique take over.

He has been on the Lou Groza watch since he came to Stanford. Toner has kicked off 17 times this season, booting seven for touchbacks.

“It’s just another thing added to the workload,” Toner said. “A few things I need to clean up. It’s just consistency, giving us good balls to cover downfield.”

Toner has a big family with five siblings. Sister Jensen played soccer at USC, while brother Leo was a soccer player at UC Irvine. Toner’s grandfather, Walter Benjamin Reinhold, is a Stanford graduate, class of 1950.

Toner’s greatest achievement thus far this season was booting a career-best 51-yard field goal vs. Northwestern, moments after quarterback K.J. Costello was knocked out on a late hit right seconds before halftime. Stanford went on for a 17-7 victory, its only win of the year.

Sanborn’s greatest achievement in his early days Down on the Farm was out-dueling Gracey and Riccitelli.

“We competed all the way through camp,” Sanborn said. “Alex and Collin, two great punters. We went back-and-forth the whole camp. At the end, they decided on who it was. Competing against them made me better. It’s great to be out here with two great punters. I pick and choose their skills and copy that.”

Biggest challenge for Sanborn has been “the transition from high school to college.”

“The college game is a lot faster,” Sanborn said. “Our snapper has been great, getting the ball back to me in a good spot. It’s me who has to get it off in a good time with a great rotation for the ball.”

San Diego is a hotbed for standout kickers and Sanborn – out of Francis Parker High – was one of the more highly touted. He played in the 2019 All-American Bowl with PrepStar rating him the No. 2 kicker in the nation. Sanborn was chosen the San Diego Section kicker of the year.

Stanford is off to a disappointing 1-3 start, something Sanborn is fully aware of.

“It starts with everyone doing their individual part,” Sanborn said. “There is always room to improve. I’m focused on what I can do best to help the team. I need to get good hang time and the right direction.”

Sanborn had the unenviable job of following Bailey, one of the best punters in Stanford history, if not the best.

“Jake is, obviously, a great punter,” Sanborn said. “I grew up with him. He was 10 minutes away from me. He set a standard for great punting at Stanford. He’s the guy I based my technique off of. I can mirror that.”

 

Men’s soccer: No. 1 Stanford starts season at 7-0 after 3-0 win over SJS

 Stanford scored three times in the span of 13 second-half minutes and the No. 1 Cardinal rolled to its seventh consecutive victory with a 3-0 win over San Jose State on Tuesday night.

Stanford (7-0) has won its first seven matches for the first time in 17 years. It also went 7-0 to begin its 2002 campaign. The school record for consecutive victories to begin a season is nine, set in 1997 and matched in 2001.

The first 15 minutes after halftime often decides games and the Cardinal absolutely dominated that stretch against the Spartans (0-7). Charlie Wehan had a shot saved and another go high in a seven-second span early in the period before slipping the ball to freshman Ousseni Bouda, who hammered it in from a tight angle to put Stanford in front in the 52^nd minute.

Less than two minutes later, a Logan Panchot corner was punched away by SJSU keeper David Sweeney and dropped perfectly to Derek Waldeck at the top of the box. The senior waited, swung his right leg and showed beautiful form to drill it home in the 54^th.

Waldeck started Stanford’s final tally in the 65^th when he dispossessed a San Jose State defender trying to play it out of the back. He took two touches into the box and crossed it to freshman Gabe Segal, who tidily finished his fourth goal of the season with a slide.

“In that second half you saw the energy and urgency we really desire,” Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn said. “It was quite clear that we were on top in those first 15 minutes and we did what was important to win the game.”

Through seven matches, super-sub Segal leads the team with four goals, while fellow freshman Bouda is tied for second with three of his own. Waldeck’s four assists pace Stanford in that category. Twenty Cardinal saw action on Tuesday night and the team displayed the depth it will need to make a run at its sixth consecutive Pac-12 title.

“There were a lot of bright showings,” Gunn added . “The strikers are all fighting for time and they can all stake a claim that they should be getting more minutes. We have the luxury of enjoying good, healthy competition. You have to keep pushing and be ready to make most of your opportunities and that’s what players did tonight.”

Stanford is at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday before getting into the teeth of its conference schedule, beginning with Washington at Cagan Stadium on  Oct. 3.

*Care of Stanford athletics

Card Reider column: Stanford football program suffers hard times, on and off field

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

Things started unraveling for the Stanford football program when John Ralston, who coached the then Indians to two upset Rose Bowl victories (’71, ’72), passed away on Sept. 14 at the age of 92. The previous time the Indians had been in the Rose Bowl was in 1952, quite a drought Ralston ended.

Stanford’s woes off the field continued after its 21-6 loss to Oregon on Saturday. After the game, the press elevator went beserk, causing reporters, VIP guests and whomever to go up-and-down, not knowing which floor to get off on. People, thinking they were on the first floor, got out and quickly found out they were on the fourth floor, etc.

One lady, wearing Stanford garb, was overheard, “Can’t they put in a second quarterback?.”

Yes, on a day the Cardinal defense played its best game of the year against a high-octane Ducks team, the talk was all bout Cardinal cornerback K.J. Costello and the inept and boring Cardinal offense.

The season for the Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) has been more down than up. Stanford was held without a touchdown, collecting a couple of meaningless field goals. In four games, the Cardinal has scored just five touchdowns – 2 rushing, 3 receiving. Last year, they had just 16 rushing TDs in 13 games.

Ouch. Anyone not rooting for Stanford or Oregon had no reason to watch that game on television. No reason.

The Stanford radio crew – Scott Reiss and Todd Husak, a former Stanford quarterback – talked about “rumors’ of Costello having a sore thumb. The San Francisco Chronicle game story went on record that Costello, indeed, has a sore thumb, which, in all probability, affected his throwing.

Costello was 16 of 30 for 120 yards. Costello, who had a fabulous year last season, has yet to repeat that form in 2019. He doesn’t look confident, his receivers are not getting separation, he can’t find his receivers when they do and so on. Costello, as he scrambles when the pocket breaks down, needs to throw the ball high in the air to his deepest receiver, giving the receiver a chance to catch the ball. There has been several instances where Costello doesn’t get the ball to where the receiver can catch it, throwing it out of bounds, or short to the turf, or over the receiver’s head.

As usual, Cardinal coach David Shaw pounded the rock with RB Cam Scarlett, a hard runner, who netted a career-high 97 yards rushing on 19 carries. In four games, Scarlett has rushed for 321 yards on 70 carries, on pace for a 1,000-yard season. He has been the MVP for the Cardinal attack.

That’s nice for window dressing, but bottom line is scoring points. The Cardinal is averaging 17.5 ppg, its opponents – 29.5. Not gong to cut it.

The Cardinal, with one of the most arduous schedules in the country, can hardly overlook Saturday’s opponent – Oregon State (1-2) in Corvallis, If  Beavers fans aren’t camping out at Reser Stadium as I type, then I’m “The Masked Singer.”

Only former Stanford football coach Buddy Teevens was a nice a coach as Shaw, the winningest coach in Stanford history. Teevens was 10-29 at Stanford from 2002 to 2004, 2-9 in his first season. That offense was so dull (couldn’t pass a lick), I finally wrote, “If you’re going to lose, at least be entertaining.”

That phrase fits here. The Cardinal is 4 yards and a cloud of dust with a passing game that can’t get vertical. Costello’s longest gain threw the air has been 27 yards. Backup Davis Mills has a long of 26 yards.

Not right.

Did anyone miss true freshman Austin Jones making like Stanford’s former Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love in Orlando vs. UCF? Jones, who had earlier gone for 13 yards on a Wildcat up the middle, took a handoff in the backfield, dodged one man, broke a couple of would-be tacklers, then darted to the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. The fast UCF defenders had no answers.

Yet, against the Ducks, Jones ran just 3 times for 20 yards, grabbing a short pass for 4 yards. Jones and Scarlett would be a nice tandem in the backfield because the defense would have more guessing to do. If either Scarlett or Jones are the lone back, it’s going to be a run. Haven’t seen an end-around all season, nor much play-action, or any gadgetry, for that matter.

What a concept,

If you can’t score touchdowns, you have to gamble to make up for it. Wouldn’t it have been a big surprise if the Cardinal kicked onside following its first field goal? If you don’t get it, you still have almost the whole game to play.

Stanford’s defense finally got some good pressure on a quarterback, something it hadn’t done the previous two games, which really cost them. It was cause and effect with the secondary. Linebacker Casey Toohill looked like an All=American when he sacked Oregon’s Justin Herbert, not letting Herbert slip away.

The defense has stepped up. Now it’s the offense’s turn. And if Costello can’t deliver the ball properly because of a sore thumb, answer the lady in the elevator’s question and put in Mills, or even third-stringer Jack West. Jones needs to get 10 carries a game, minimum. He’s a “can’t-take-your-eye-off=him” back.

Leaving Stanford Stadium after Saturday’s game, one Stanford fan said to his friend, “Our offense is terrible.”

And not very entertaining, to boot.

 

Football: Glimmer of light in third straight loss; Cardinal 0-1 in Pac-12 North

By Mark Soltau

Stanford athletics

STANFORD – After lopsided losses at USC and UCF, the Stanford defense made positive strides in Saturday’s 21-6 setback to No. 16 Oregon.

Led by Heisman Trophy contender Justin Herbert, the Ducks (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) entered Saturday averaging 44.3 points and 505 yards on offense. The Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) allowed three touchdowns and 320 yards while sacking Herbert four times.

“Our focus was to execute and play fast and physical,” said fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill, who recorded a career-high two sacks. “I think we did a decent job of that, but again, we left a lot on the table and gave them too many points.”

David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, was especially pleased with his front seven, which limited Oregon to 61 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Despite the sacks and two hurries, Herbert completed 19-of-24 passes for 259 yards and three scores.

“We’re a really talented defense … I still believe that,” Toohill said. “I missed two sacks and that can’t happen. Too many opportunities where we had third-and-long and let them get a big play. We took some steps, but we’re still not where we need to be.”

Toohill, senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts and senior outside linebacker Jordan Fox shared team-high tackling honors with eight, while sophomore strong safety Kendall Williamson added seven. The Cardinal registered seven tackles for loss.

Afterward, senior free safety Malik Antoine implored his teammates to raise their level.

“It’s always frustrating when you leave a little meat on the bone,” he said. “I’m always confident in this team. You really have to look at yourself and this is no time to start pointing fingers. Our backs are up against the wall.”

Added Toohill, “You look for the little details you are missing. Once you do that, you just focus on your next opponent. We need to build off some of the good we did. You can’t be depressed and get stuck looking in the rearview mirror. We really have to look ahead.”

Running hard: Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett matched the career-high he set against Northwestern in the season opener by slashing for 97 yards on 19 carries.

“He probably broke between eight and 10 tackles,” Shaw said. “He showed what kind of back he can be, physical, quick, tough, did a good job in pass protection.”

Still searching: The offense ran nine more plays and finished with a nearly nine-minute advantage in time of possession but could only muster two field goals by senior Jet Toner.

“Sloppy play,” said Shaw of the unit’s performance, which had two big plays negated by costly penalties. “There’s so much more on this football team, and we’ve got to get it out of us.”

Senior quarterback K.J. Costello never found his rhythm and finished 16-of-30 for 120 yards and was intercepted once. He was sacked five times and hurried four but praised his offensive line.

“They did a helluva job,” he said.

Costello banged his throwing thumb on an Oregon helmet early in the game.

“I could grip it well enough to throw it,” said Costello. “The same thing happened last year. Everybody is banged up this time of year.”

Poor field position didn’t help. Stanford started five drives from its own 12 or worse.

“It was definitely execution,” said Scarlett. “We know we all the talent in the locker room that we need.

We know we have what it takes to right the ship and turn it around.”

In four games, the Cardinal offense has produced four touchdowns.

First catch: Junior tight end Tucker Fisk, known more as a blocker, made his first reception since his senior year at Davis High in Davis, Calif. As a prep, he caught 92 passes for 1,116 yards and 13 touchdowns.

“It definitely felt good to get it,” he said of his eight-yard grab. “Honestly, I was almost confused when I caught it. I almost didn’t remember what to do with it.”

Fisk said Stanford’s inability to find the end zone was mostly due to self-inflicted wounds. The last time the Cardinal failed to score a touchdown on home turf was against Colorado during a 10-5 defeat in 2016.

“It was mostly us,” he said. “We just need to execute better and play better as a team. It’s definitely an internal issue.”
 

Women’s soccer: Macario lifts Stanford over Broncos

Catarina Macario’s clinical free kick proved to be the winning goal in a 4-2 triumph of Santa Clara on Sunday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.

With the Cardinal (7-1-0) knotted up at 2-2 in the 77th minute, Macario planted an inch-perfect, 25-yard free kick into the top-left corner to put Stanford on top for good. Madison Haley scored moments later to put the game on ice, but only after the Broncos (4-5-0) twice equalized in response to Stanford’s first two goals, scored by Sophia Smith and Carly Malatskey.

Smith finished with one goal and one assist while Lauren Rood finished with three saves, all in the second half, to earn the win. Belle Briede and Abby Greubel added assists and Stanford outshot Santa Clara, 17-12, en route to victory.

An eventful first half ended 2-1 in favor of Stanford with Smith opening the scoring in the 22nd minute. Smith started the move on the right flank, collecting the ball before dribbling past several Santa Clara defenders. The Cardinal briefly lost the ball but Macario won it back 20 yards from goal and the ball fell to Smith, who kept her composure and buried her right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner to make it 1-0.

The Broncos struck back in the 40th minute. A Santa Clara corner kick was initially defended by Stanford but Machaela George stabbed home the ensuing loose ball to tie it up at 1-1.

Thirty one seconds later, the Cardinal regained the lead through Malatskey. Smith received the ball on the right wing and curled a dangerous cross past the sprawling Courtney Ogren. Malatskey collected it in space, picked her spot and drilling a right-footed shot inside the near post to restore Stanford’s advantage before the halftime whistle.

After the break, Santa Clara quickly leveled the score at 2-2 in the 52nd minute when Kelsey Turnbow beat Rood into the top corner. Rood made saves in the 67th and 74th minutes to keep the score level, setting up Macario’s spectacular game winner in the 77th minute.

From 25 yards out, Macario’s powerful, right-footed shot bent inside the top corner beyond the reach of Ogren to put Stanford on top for good. In the 85th minute, Stanford put the game out of reach with a fourth goal off the foot of Haley. Greubel released Haley into space and the junior did the rest, coolly slotting past Ogren to double the lead and put the game to rest.

No. 3 Stanford returns to action on Saturday when it travels to take on USC in Los Angeles at 1 p.m., marking the start of Pac-12 conference play.

Cardinal Notes

·         Stanford scored four or more goals for the fourth time this season.

·         Smith has scored in three of her four appearances this season.

·         Macario’s goal was the fifth of her career scored from a direct free kick while her assist gave her the team lead with six.

·         Macario’s 112 career points rank ninth in program history – her 41 goals rank ninth in program history while her 30 assists rank eighth.

·         Macario has scored the game-winning goal in four of the Cardinal’s eight wins.

*Care of Stanford athletics

Women’s volleyball: Cardinal’s crazy comeback can’t force fifth set

By John Reid

Card Reider

On Twitter @cardreider1

STANFORD – Stanford and BYU are rapidly becoming quite a rival in women’s volleyball.  Saturday’s matinee was one for the annals with the second-ranked Cardinal somehow coming back to nearly win the wild fourth set. However, there was no fifth set as the No. 8 Cougars held on for an 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 31-29 victory at Maples Pavilion.

A year ago, the Cardinal (6-2) ousted the Cougars in the semifinals of the NCAA tourney, while BYU (9-2) won a five-set preseason matchup, dealing Stanford its only loss in a 34-1 campaign. The Cardinal leads the all-time series 9-6.

Cardinal libero Morgan Hentz had 27 digs in thrilling 4-set loss to BYU

Stanford’s senior class is on a quest to win three NCAA crowns in four years, but this year will be the ultimate challenge, beginning with Pac-12 play at 24th-ranked Cal on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Stanford’s third-year coach, Kevin Hambly, is an alum of BYU, bringing even more intensity to the match than was needed.

“I think we are ready for conference, but we didn’t play the way we wanted (tonight),” Hambly said. “We did everything we needed to prepare for conference. We came to play, but BYU came to compete. The out-competed us the whole match.”

The Cougs had a powerful outside hitter in McKenna Miller, who had a team-high 18 kills. Kate Grimmer had 11 kills with Heather Gneiting the other Cougar with double-digit kills (10). Tayle Ballard-Nixon had seven kills, including critical kills late to preserve the fourth set.

A Miller rip in Set 1 gave the Cougars a 10-5 lead in front of an announced crowd of 2,964. Cardinal setter Jenna Gray delivered a quick set to graduate transfer Madeleine Gates, who put down one of her 9 kills.

Kathryn Plummer had a show-stopping kill out of the back row and it was 16-14 Cardinal. Plummer, with a match-high 21 kills, moved into ninth place on the all-time career kills list at Stanford with 1,692. Plummer surpassed Foluke Akinradewo, who was in attendance, honored as an inductee of this year’s Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.

The Cardinal went on a 9-4 run to close the set, keyed by a block by Holly Campbell and a combined block by Gates and Audriana Fitzmorris for a 21-16 lead. The Cardinal had 17.0 team blocks, 5.5 from Campbell, , 3,5 from Fitzmorris and 3.0 by Gates.

“Once we got the lead after the first set, we thought they were going to go away,” Hambly said. “They’re not going to go away.”

It was Game 4 that had to have folks buzzing as they left Maples. The Cougars had leads of 19-14, 22-17 and 23-18 after a net violation on the Cardinal.

After a kill by MIller brought 24-20 and with the  Cardinal needing a win for a Set 5, the Cardinal went to work with a kill by Fitzmorris. Two straight Cardinal blocks got the Cardinal within 24-23 before a kill by Fitzmorris got Maples rockin’, the set tied 24-24.

Meghan McClure’s lone kill was just in, tying the game 28-28. Campbell and true freshman Kendall Kipp gave the Cardinal set point at 29-28. The match ended on a kill by Ballard-Nixon.

Gray had a whopping 52 assists, while Cardinal libero Morgan Hentz had 27 digs. McClure and and Kipp had 13 and 10 digs, respectively. Fitzmorris and Kipp, out of Corona Del Mar High, had 10 kills apiece. Hitting percentage was near-identical, the Cardinal hitting .238 to the Cougars’ .232.

The Cardinal has had a tough preseason slate, also losing to then No. 8 Minnesota in four sets, but downing then No. 1 Nebraska Lincoln 3-1. Then there was a win over No. 3 Texas 3-1, followed by a 3-1 triumph over then No. 4 Penn State at State College.

“Everyone has different stuff going on,” Hambly said. “I’ve seen Minnesota and BYU play really well, and I’ve seen those teams struggle. It’s early in the season.”